Verlie Murphy, one of Tryon Arts and Crafts School’s artisans, has been named the school’s artist of the month. Murphy’s  artwork will be featured for the month of January in the gallery of Tryon’s Arts and Crafts School at 373 Harmon Field Road, which is open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Verlie, who works in a variety of artistic mediums, was born and raised in Michigan. One of 13 siblings, she became hearing impaired at the age of 5 after contracting  measles. Because of her hearing loss, Verlie says, “I find it very natural to perceive and develop images through textures that suggest them to me. It is just my way of creating.”

As a young girl, she developed a love of art, and she kept her creative spirit alive while married and raising five children. She initially discovered and worked with oils. Teaching herself after one year of classes, she successfully sold many paintings, with a ‘niche’ in painted saw blades and scenes on Christmas ornaments. At 38, she took her saw blades as her portfolio and applied to Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich. and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 1993 with emphasis in printmaking.

Since moving to the area in 2004, she has been a member of Tryon Painters and Sculptors, Tryon Arts and Crafts School and C.A.T.S (Caring Artists Teaching and Sharing) in South Carolina. Her focus has progressed to quilting and most recently her artwork is being printed onto fabric to be designed into original quilts.

Verlie has been featured in First Cut Magazine, published by the Guild of American Papercutters, and in 2017 her work will be included in the next One Block Wonder quilt book entitled “One Block Wonders of the World” by Maxine Rosenthal and Linda Bardes.     

For more information about the Tryon Arts and Crafts School, contact the office at 828-859-8323 or visit tryonartsandcrafts.org.

– article submitted by Cathy Fischer